65 year old Yang Xiaoyun runs an animal shelter in Tianjin and she spent $1000 and travelled overl 1,5000 miles (1609 kms) to save 100 dogs who would otherwise have been eaten at the summer solstice festival in Yulin.

Yang’s been rescuing animals since 1995 when she fell in love with a stray she took in, but she hasn’t had an easy time of it. She has taken in nearly 3,000 animals, many of whom she cares for at her rescue center in Tianjin.

Her crusade has cost her her home and some of her family members, who disapproved of how much effort she was putting into her rescue operation. Many of the dogs have been abused or are ill, but Yang knows that, while not ideal, they’re better off receiving regular meals with her than alone and at risk on the street — or in butchers’ cages.